Istanbul Tour: Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace Full Day Adventure
4.5
518 Ratings
Istanbul
Embark on a full-day adventure in Istanbul, exploring iconic landmarks such as the Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace. Discover the rich history and culture of the city while enjoying a delicious lunch at a local restaurant.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Blue Mosque - Blue Mosque
- Hippodrome - Hippodrome
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - Hagia Sophia
- Topkapi Palace - Topkapi Palace
- Grand Bazaar Jewelers - Grand Bazaar
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Lunch
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (only from hotels)
What's Not Included
- Visit to the Harem in Topkapi Palace is not included (own expense)
- Drinks
- Gratuities
Additional Information
This 8 hours tour starts at Hippodrome Square continues to the Blue Mosque as one of the landmarks of the city. Then visit to the St. Sophia Museum, one of the most magnificent Byzantine churches. Continue to Topkapi Palace, the imperial residence of the Great Ottoman Empire, today a museum holding large collection of porcelains and displaying holy relics. Proceed to Little Hagia Sofia and the Grand Bazaar, tempting souvenir-hunters with its rich collection of precious handmade carpets, jewellery and leather, where the tour ends. Lunch in a local restaurant will be served during the tour.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Dress code is smart casual
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays instead you will take the Bosphorus Cruise Tour. Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, instead you will visit the open-air bazaar
- Passport name, number and country is required at time of booking for all participants
- At least 2 people are required for this activity to take place.
- As Hagia Sophia is not a museum (has been converted into a mosque) anymore, tour guides don’t have skip-the-line priority/offer there.
- We as KARAVAN TRAVEL, want to ensure the minds of travelers that, all the necessary safety measures and precautions will be maintained at all times; hand sanitizer will be available, masks will be given out, seats will be blocked out on coaches, reduced groups sizes and social distancing measures will be taking against COVID-19 infections. We will follow up the new regulations/restrictions permanently and update our procedures accordingly.
Location
Blue Mosque
Sultanahmet Mah At Meydani Cad No 7
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(518 Ratings)
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David_g
May 19, 2024
Good tour. Unfortunately... - Good tour. Unfortunately there were 5 miles to cover on foot, but Barak, our guide, was knowledgable and thorough and made it very interesting.
Review provided by Viator
Lefink2002
May 14, 2024
Great tour - Our guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about all the places we went and kept us on schedule. We would love to have another tour with him ("Jen" is maybe his name?)
Review provided by Viator
Rosa_r
May 13, 2024
Interesting and informative - Very knowledgeable and well paced. Recommend it to my friends.
You should not rquire a mininimum size for comments.
Review provided by Viator
Erin_y
May 13, 2024
Wonderful tour guide made the experience - This was a packed day full of history and site seeing. Our tour guide, Jan, was amazing - knowledgeable, friendly, and dynamic. He gave great insight for each site and the context to frame it in. He also gave us the local perspective on what we were seeing, where to eat, and what to do after our tour. We did several tours in the city and he was by far our favorite guide.
The sites themselves are amazing and definitely worth a visit.
Review provided by Viator
Gordon_h
May 10, 2024
Istanbul highlights - What was supposed to be a max 15 participant tour turned out to be basically a private tour with just 4 of us, 2 couples. As a result Ali was able to adjust the tour to take advantage of the shorter lineups at the various sites which really reduced the amount of time waiting in lineups. Ali was very knowledgable and able to give us detailed historical information about the Blue Mosque, Haiga Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar and answer all our questions. The included lunch, pre-set was great with a authentic Turkish menu. The Turkish coffee, which was extra was a bit pricey.
Review provided by Viator
Ximena_a
May 4, 2024
Great tour - Excellent guide , his name was Han , very educated, knowledgeable young man, with pleasant manners . Enjoyed the long day spent with him in this tour. The lunch provided was nice, the restaurant had a great view to the sea.
I would recommend this tour. Worth the money.
Review provided by Viator
Gabriela_h
Apr 28, 2024
Great private tour with transportation - I would recommend this tour for the easiness of the itinerary. (We were a party of 5, and another couple joined for a total 7 people.) First they pick you up at your hotel or a hotel near your airbnb. They take you around in a private van to the sights. Skip the line entrance is included so we virtually walked in without much waiting. We were lucky, went early in the morning and not during high season. Ali our tour guide was great. He was informative, explained the history of our sights and his English excellent. We then went with Ali to a rooftop restaurant with the most magnificent sights of Istanbul and Mosques for lunch. It was a set menu and the food was delicious. We also had a beautiful sunny day and the views were just gorgeous. At the end of tour they take you to the Grand Bazaar and they ask how long you would like to stay and meeting points for return. The Bazaar was extremely crowded. But that is normal. Thank you Ali for a wonderful day! We were able to see the most sought out important sights in one day in a private tour and transportation. I thought it was worth it.
Review provided by Viator
Hripsime_l
Apr 26, 2024
Amazing - Amazing tour!!!! Tour guide Jan was extremely friendly and very knowledgeable! Enjoyed every moment and learned a ton about history and religion today!
Review provided by Viator
Bill_j
Apr 20, 2024
Istanbul private tour of the old city. - Baruk was our fabulous tour guide shown in the picture at a wonderful restaurant overlooking Istanbul and the Bosporus. If we ever have the good fortune to return to Istanbul, we would use him again in a heartbeat!! He picked us up at our cruise terminal and returned us to the exact same spot.
Review provided by Viator
S1961gkpaulm
Apr 6, 2024
A History Lesson - Really enjoyed this tour. Our guide, Sema, was a wealth of knowledge and very engaging throughout the whole tour.
Firstly we visited the Topkapi Palace which was quite extensive and very interesting.
We then went the Hagia Sofia. Sema already had our tickets so only a short time in the queue. She told us all the history of this quite majestic place. The history of this building is monumental. This was the joy the trip for us.
Then we visited the Blue Mosque and managed to get in before the prayers. Very interesting especially when you hear how many blue tiles there are in the building. Shows off, of course :)
Sema then took us for a tasty lunch before we finished our tour firstly with some
Knowledge of the Hippodrome and finally at the Grand bazaar where she gave us another wonderful history lesson about the place.
All in all a great tour. The best on our short trip to Istanbul.
Thanks Sema 👍
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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